We are lucky enough to live in a beautiful area of Dartmoor National Park near the small Village of Poundsgate. We live on our smallholding where we keep our Alpacas and Llamas. Steves Family have farmed Ponsworthy Farm which is in the small hamlet of Ponsworthy since the 1600s. Ponsworthy is near the village of Widecombe in the Moor famous for its fair and Uncle Tom Cobley.
We started breeding Alpacas in 2006 and developed a herd of approx 40 Alpacas over the following 12 years. We do not breed Alpacas now but still have a few pet Alpacas and a Llama in the field next to Robin Cottage.
Here at Robin Cottage we are trying to provide a wildlife friendly environment, we have bird feeders where we provide a range of feed for an amazing variety of Birds. We have a family of Stoats which can often be seen playing in the Garden and a Fox has often been seen passing through.
In 2021 we started to set aside part of our pasture for Wild Flowers and have planted several trees. This area will be available for Guests to enjoy with some ideally placed chairs to watch the Sun go down and a fire pit for roasting those Marshmallows. In the Winter of 2024 we are going to set aside another small are and plant some heritage Apple Trees and expand the Wild flower meadow.
Many people return to our cottage just to enjoy our cute and cuddly Alpacas and Llama. As part of your holiday you can visit the animals in their paddocks help to feed the alpacas in the mornings.
Robin Holiday cottage is set in a fantastic location near the small village of Poundsgate it is surrounded by traditional Dartmoor buildings including thatch cottages. There is a thriving pub in the village which serves good food and local ales, this has been highly recommended by many of our Guests this year.
The famous village of Widecombe-in-the-moor is just a few miles away which has a bigger range of pubs, cafes and shops. Widecombe has a farmers market once a month selling a large range of local produce and crafts.
A little further away you can find the towns of Ashburton and Bovey Tracey which will provide you with a wide range of little shops including supermaket, deli’s, bakery, butchers and many antique shops along with a good range of eating establishments.